The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]

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Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Vatican City, 4 November 2014 (VIS) –
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Holy See Permanent Observer at the United
Nations in New York, spoke at the 69th Session of the General
Assembly held on 23 October, regarding the “Eradication of
Poverty”.

Speaking in English, the nuncio
expressed the Holy See delegation's belief that “countries should
develop evidence-based policies and strategies to combat extreme
poverty, rather than relying on pre-conceived one-size-fits-all
solutions. Analyses and suggested solutions need to be based on
on-the-ground expertise and lived experience, rather than on imposed
ready-made solutions from the outside, which are not always devoid of
ideological colourings”.

He also remarked that sustainable
development “requires the participation of all in the life of
families, communities, organisations and societies. Participation is
the antidote to exclusion, be it social, political, economic or
cultural”. Another barrier to sustainable development, he noted, is
“the exclusion of women from equal and active participation in the
development of their communities. Excluding women and girls from
education and subjecting them to violence and discrimination violates
their inherent dignity and fundamental human rights”.

“My delegation wishes to highlight
that poverty is not mere exclusion from economic development; it is
as multifaceted and multidimensional as the human person. … Other
than its more obvious economic expression, poverty also manifests
itself in the educational, social, political, cultural and spiritual
dimensions of life. … Development is more than the sum total of
resources invested into development projects and their measurable
material results. … In our efforts to eradicate poverty, we must
always return to the foundational principle of our efforts, namely to
promote the authentic development of the whole person and of all
peoples. Each of us needs to contribute. Each of us can benefit. This
is solidarity”.

- Bishop Peter F. Christensen of
Superior, U.S.A., as bishop of Boise City (area 218,272, population
1,584,985, Catholics 174,348, priests 91, permanent deacons 75,
religious 91), U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop Michael P. Driscoll, whose
resignation from the same diocese upon having reached the age limit
was accepted by the Holy Father.

- Bishop Christopher Kakooza, auxiliary
of Kampala, Uganda, as bishop of Lugazi (area 4,595, population
1,549,134, Catholics 667,362, priests 80, religious 209), Uganda. He
succeeds Bishop Matthias Ssekamanya, whose resignation from the
pastoral care of the same diocese upon having reached the age limit
was accepted by the Holy Father.

- Rev. Fr. Carlos Enrique Trinidad
Gomez as bishop of San Marcos (area 3,791, population 982,000,
Catholics 637,000, priests 45, religious 103), Guatemala. The
bishop-elect was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala in 1955 and was
ordained a priest in 1984. He holds a licentiate in theology and
liturgy from the Higher Institute of Liturgy in Barcelona, Spain, and
has served in a number of pastoral and academic roles, as parish
priest and episcopal vicar in the diocese of Santiago de Guatemala
and as lecturer, bursar and rector of the interdiocesan major
seminary.